Getting there

There are two trailheads available for Kasagiyama. The easy route is only accessible via car, whilst the moderate, slightly more challenging route is accessible by both car and bus. 

The easy trail begins at the Bokyo Forest Campround in Kasagi-cho, Ena City. This campground is located at practically the peak of Kasagiyama. There is a free carpark at the front of the campground which is free for anyone to use. The actual trail starts at the back of the carpark. 

The second more challenging route begins at the carpark near the base of the mountain. Copy and paste 姫栗ふりあい広場 into Google Maps. Here there is a carpark for up to 40 cars. This is a community centre and provides free carparking. 

If you do not have access to a car, it is still possible to access the mountain by bus. Take the bus to Koutokubashi Higashi, you can the Kasagi Bus Line direct to the bus stop from Ena station. The bus stop is located at the front of 姫栗ふりあい広場 (community centre). Just be warned that buses are infrequent and time table planning is required. 

Route/Trail notes

If starting the hike from Bokyo Forest Campground: 

Begin the walk at the carpark. There is a clear obvious trail. Follow this trail to a small clearing with a picnic ground. Here there will be a large rock that you can climb on. This rock has best views from Kasagiyama. After getting off the rock, there will be a path veering off to the right that heads uphill. There will be a wooden sign that points you towards the summit. Continue along the path to the summit. This is a straight path. The path to the summit is quite short and should not take you too long to reach. Once you see a large shrine, you know you have reached the summit of Kasagiyama. There are some benches which you can use to stop for lunch. 

If wanting to see an alternate lookout and for access to the glowing moss, continue past the shrine (at the back) and turn right. This will lead you a down the mountain where you walk over a ladder and into a cave. Peer into the cave and you will see the glowing moss which looks a lot like very green paint. From here, backtrack to the temple and then take the left turn. This will take you past a wooden lookout tower with questionable structural integritry. Climb up this for good views over the central alps and Mount Ontake. You can loop back to the carpark you started at by continuing along the path past the wooden lookout. Follow the road and you will arrive back at the Bokyo Forest Campground. 

If starting the hike from 姫栗ふりあい広場 (community centre):

From either the carpark or the bus stop. Walk up the road and there will be a steep hill with a house next to it. There will be a sign here that reads in Japanese 笠置山. Follow this sign and walk along the road. This path will eventually take you into a forest. Follow the path straight keeping an eye out for signs pointing you towards 笠置山. A lot of the path is made up of wooden stairs and is surrounded by sasa bamboo grass. The path is not particularly strenuous. If you are lucky you may see some kamoshika (Japanese serow) as they are quite common in Ena. 

Once you reach the summit or before reaching the summit you can make a left towards the big rock lookout. Look out for signs in Japanese that read 大展望台. This will take you on a gently sloping path down towards a large rock with the best views on Kasagiyama. From there backtrack back to the summit where there is a shrine. As is the same with the easy path, if wanting to see an alternate lookout and for access to the glowing moss, continue past the shrine (at the back) and turn right. This will lead you a down the mountain where you walk over a ladder and into a cave. Peer into the cave and you will see the glowing moss which looks a lot like very green paint. From here, backtrack to the temple and then take the left turn. This will take you past a wooden lookout tower with questionable structural integritry. Climb up this for good views over the central alps and Mount Ontake.

From the lookout, loop back to the summit and then backtrack the way you came to the community centre.  

Notes for hiking in winter: 

There can be deep snow and you it may be difficult to traverse but it is not impossible. Even without speciality gear, it is possible to hike Kasagiyama. Just be careful of ice. When driving, do not drive to Bokyo Forest Campground, it is impossible as the narrow windy mountain road to Bokyo is incredibly dangerous. It may result in death. If attempting in winter, start from the community centre as there is little to no risk of your car slipping.